Is That You Faust? Shall We Dance Again?

My never ending fascination/consternation with Glenn Beck and his program continues.

I tuned in today for reasons known only to the Almighty hand of providence and my deep subconscious. Right off the bat I was treated to a caller who opened what I assume would have been a question with an earnest praise of Beck and how after looking into Beck's eyes, in person, the caller knew he was a sincere man. A good man.

Then I heard my forehead hit the steering wheel, then everything went black until I woke up in the parking lot of a Fudruckers. I wish I had stayed in the sweet relief of unconsciousness. It seems every time I hear something about Beck it's by some sycophantic follower talking about how sincere and earnest Beck is, thereby giving credibility to the deep thoughts supposedly portrayed on his show.

Now, sincere eyes can often time be the mark of a good honest man but it ignores the simple truth. Sincerity and earnestness are not only the domain of the good but also of liars, fools and the insane. We know this is true because the Kennedys and Clintons have been scourging the political system for years. Obama went from an absolute nothing Chicago city councilman to President in a cocaine heartbeat because of the ability to be earnest and sincere. Any good Hollywood/sporting world sex scandal involves numerous, earnest apologies and statements.

Unfortunately, the ability to speak slowly, look people in the eye and speak with a deep baritone voice is not the mark of an honest man. These things, like many of the things on the radio in the afternoon, are completely meaningless. It's the first thing liars try and perfect before they give you the hard sell. I can only assume people use these crutches to judge character because actually judging the substance of a persons actions is time consuming and involves a measure of intellectual honesty that gets in the way of a good story.

How much better off would the world be if people had the ability to ignore the heartfelt lies and only see the substance (or lack thereof) in a person. I personally would be happy if I could simply turn the dial without being accosted by the delusional ass kissery of the Sycophant Nation. Where's a good Lady Gaga/Ke$ha double play when you need it?

BullSh*t Radar

Being the naturally curious human being that I am (hence the name of this blog) I try my best to absorb all kinds of media and opinions. The best source for an all in one pu pu platter of opinion is on radio and I listen to as many hours as I can fit in a day.

A recent schedule change shifted my drive time to later in the day, which opened up a whole new slew of entertainment. I've been at this for about four months now and I think some opinions can be made about my new drive time listening.

First, the Mark Levin Show is just excellent, no complaints at all.

The other new show I get to hear is the Glenn Beck program (taped delayed to evening drive).

And I can't decided if he's the most emotional, passionate voice on the radio or just completely full of it and laying it on extra thick for dramatic effect.

It's not the content of the show that sets off my BS alarm. I generally agree with the points Beck makes about the corruption in government, failure of both parties and the need for drastic change. I just wonder if I believe it more than he does.

My suspicion lies in the delivery. Every time I hear the voice tremble, the tears flow, the overly dramatic (and lengthy) pauses and the deepening of tone I can't help but immediately think that it is the most contrived, calculated delivery on radio and that I'm being played by this guy.

These nuances/production qualities have recently become even more apparent as Beck has delved into lengthy discussions about saving THE REPUBLIC (always in all caps), about "The Plan" he is developing to save THE REPUBLIC and the various modifications to his timetable for deployment of said "Plan" due to changes occurring in THE REPUBLIC. These things all strike me in two ways, the first being that grassroots alterations to the way governments are elected and run are absolutely needed in this country but it also strikes me that Beck is either a) faking it for ratings b) emotionally unstable/paranoid or c) a raging narcissist who has way overvalued the import of his ideas and influence.

I readily admit that my initial problem is that I have a knee jerk suspicion of men who become emotional to the point of tears so quickly. You could convince me that Dick Vermeil was in the Taliban based on this fact alone. It strikes me that it is a smoke screen to conceal the individuals true motives or indicative of a mental weakness, either of which make the message being conveyed moot. Crying is right up there with doing things "for the children" on the list of tools for political contrivance.

I suspect that my suspicions will be resolved one way or the other in the coming year. Beck himself has built up his ideas on how to instigate resistance to the Statist assault on the Constitution that is currently taking place. If whatever Beck has been building up to turns out to be something truly substantial (able to effect the outcome of things) then I will happily eat my words, chalk up my spidey sense going off to simple stylistic issues and not say a word about it again. If in a year though Beck is still stuck in the vagaries of his new direction and dedication, purely speculative and secretive in nature and the 2010 elections come and go with nothing to show, then I will be content that my fears were right and the Beck is simply selling "Glen's Revitalizing Tonic" to the masses of people looking for a way to counteract the red wave coming from Washington.

Personally, I hope Beck proves me quite wrong. The things that are going on in our government these days is such an atrocity that the daily barrage of news assaults simply overwhelms the mind and crushes the spirit. I hope Beck delivers something tangible to his dedicated fans that gives the conservatives of the nation an outlet for constructive and effective opposition. You can never have to much help in a dogfight and I hope Beck is able to rise to the level of the truly genuine that his radio colleagues Rush, Levin and Hannity have. Otherwise he may further depress and disenfranchise the very group of people he hopes to inspire.